Republican Bill Demands a Quick Keystone XL Permit

Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, left, leader of the Senate’s Republican minority, and Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana at a news conference on Wednesday. Republican lawmakers in Congress introduced legislation on Wednesday that would require the Obama administration to issue a construction permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline within 60 days unless the president decided the project was not in the national interest. Sponsored by Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, the legislation is a sharp rejoinder to the State Department’s recent decision to delay a verdict on approval of the $7 billion project for at least a year while it considers alternative routes that bypass environmentally sensitive areas in Nebraska. That announcement enraged supporters of the pipeline, who have accused Mr. Obama of seeking to placate hi...